Don’t get me wrong. I love boxing bears, elk wrestling and chasing cougars as much as the next guy. But after a long winter of clanking down a snowy trail in spikes, tights and jacket–wondering if I’m going to go skidding onto my backside around the next icy bend—come summer I need to go trail running among some awesome blossoms.

Here are three of my favorite flower viewing trails. All within an hour (or so) of Denver. Cool vistas, primo single track, an abundance of flowers and breath taking climbs. Literally.

This trail is happening. In another week or two the Columbines will be coming on. Right now up on top there’s lots of Paintbrush and other colorful unknowns.

Park at the lower lot and go counter clockwise up the switchbacks and over the top. At the bottom cross the highway, go through the upper parking lot and take the first trail going left. Songbird. Run down through the grass back to the car. Lots of Columbines here in season. This is a short run, about 2.5 miles but you can mix and match with all kinds of other trails in this park.

Travel and OutWest editor Kyle Wagner grew up in Pittsburgh and lived in Lake County, Ill., and Naples, Fla., before moving to Denver in 1993, where she reviewed restaurants for Westword before moving to The Denver Post in 2002. She considers the best days to be those that involve her teenage daughters and doing something outside, preferably mountain biking or whitewater rafting.

Dean Krakel is a photo editor (primarily sports) at The Denver Post. A native of Wyoming, he has authored three books, "Season of the Elk," "Downriver" and "Krakel's West." An avid kayaker, rafter, mountain biker, trail runner, telemark skier and backpacker, Dean's outdoor adventures have taken him around the world.

Douglas Brown was raised about 30 miles west of Philadelphia in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he spent a lot of time running around in the woods and fields (where he hunted and explored), and in the ocean (where he surfed and stared at the horizon). Now he lives in Boulder and spends as much time hiking, running, skiing and boarding the High Country (and the Boulder foothills) as possible.

Ricardo Baca is the entertainment editor and pop music critic at The Denver Post, as well as the founder and executive editor of Reverb and the co-founder of The UMS. Happy days often involve at least one of these: whitewater rafting, snowshoeing, vintage Vespas, writing, camping, live music, road trips, snowboarding or four-wheeling.